Border Closure: Customs Arrests 177 Smugglers, 100 Illegal Migrants

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it has arrested 177 suspected smugglers and 100 illegal immigrants following the closure of the border stations.
The Public Relations Officer of the Service, Mr Joseph Attah in a statement said the arrests were made as a result joint patrol by security agencies coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
He announced the items seized during the joint operation as 8,360 – 50kg bags of parboiled foreign rice; 122 bags of fertiliser; 77 vehicles; 781 drums filled with PMS as well as 16,371 empty 200 litres drums to be used for smuggling PMS.
Other items were 1,491 packs of assorted drugs; three outboard 40HP Engines; 13 Cotonou boats; 185 drums of groundnut oil; six trucks; 114 motorcycles; among other items with 117 suspects
Part of the statement reads, “As part of the efforts to sustain the rigorous patrol along the national borderlines, the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd), Comptroller General of Immigration, Mohammed Babandede, and the Coordinator of the exercise, Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Aliyu Ndagi, have commenced an on-the-spot-assessment of the implementation and compliance of the ongoing border security drills.
“The exercise, which is being led by the Nigerian Customs Service and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), in collaboration with the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) as well as the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and other security and intelligence agencies, is intended to better secure our borders, boost national economy and strengthen border security.”